SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
For some players competing at Laver Cup London this week, the competition offers a first chance to experience the city. For others, it’s a reminder of a destination they love to visit, explore and taste.
“I took my wife here on our first trip together back in 2018,” said Team Europe’s Casper Ruud. “We enjoyed a long weekend of exploring museums, the parks, just being tourists. Sometimes that’s nice for us. We travel so many places, but we are not really tourists because we are only focused on the tennis. It is nice to visit cities you have been to before as a tourist.”
Team World’s Francisco Cerundolo said he loves London, especially when sunny weather makes it easy to visit historic sites and walk around the city. His fascination with London started when the Argentine traveled with his family as a young kid. “I remember going to the London Eye, the tourist places,” he said, “it was nice.”
London memories are a family affair for a few others, such as Team World’s Alexander Bublik and Team World alternate Ignacio Buse. Bublik’s favorite memories of London are from when he rents a house with his family, and they can all eat meals together, visit museums and explore British history. “It is a great city to be in,” he says. “I like the parks, I like the architecture, I always enjoy walking around with my wife.”
Getting lost in the sprawl is part of the fun, according to Buse, who recently rented a scooter and headed to new places to “maybe get lost around the city. I think that is very important.” It’s a trait he learned when he was younger on a visit with his family.
Family events can have different meanings for some. Team World’s Alex de Minaur, who married Brit Katie Boulter this summer, remembers the small, private wedding they had with family before a celebration in Italy. “It was very special,” he said of his favorite London memory, “just being able to walk from the house to the church and walk back, I think it was a great feeling and realizing you are actually married, it was an amazing moment and a great time.”
Team Europe vice-captain and Brit Tim Henman has fond family memories: the birth of his first two children. While Henman and his wife moved their family to the countryside several decades ago, London still calls him back, whether for tennis, to see a show or eat at a favorite dining spot.
The draw of the large, multicultural city intrigues Ruud. “It really feels like a big city and being from Norway, we don’t have that,” he said,
Even with the size London’s size and scope, one place nobody gets lost is on the way to dinner.
“The best thing is you can go to a lot of restaurants, choose from anywhere around the world. I love to go to Peruvian restaurants here; they are some good Peruvian restaurants around, the Indian food is amazing, and the fish ‘n chips. There is very good food here.”
Team World’s Learner Tien enjoys “most” items on the English breakfast plate, while Cerundolo and Ruud both say they’ve tasted fish ‘n chips, but aren’t clamoring for more.
Carlos Alcaraz admits he hasn’t been very adventurous when it comes to exploring London’s. “I’m Spanish, so I’m really into my things,” he said, adding he’s been willing to try some fresh items, “But not that much, to be honest.”
Henman, though, knows a “good English breakfast is tough to beat”, while conceding that his favorite food in London is Japanese.
Ruud’s dream is to attend his first Premier League match “and have a big-size beer and fish ‘n chips in the stands.”
One other player has fallen for more than a British wife. “The one thing I can definitely get around is going to the pub,” De Minaur says. “I love a good pub meal. A Sunday roast is something we definitely always try to make a part of [our week], even going to Sunday markets. I have spent a lot of time here in the UK, and I’m all about it.”
